Bloomsburg University men’s swim team had a triumphant conclusion to their 2019 season this past Saturday as the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship concluded.
The men earned the silver second place for the fourth year in a row, and the sixth time out of the past seven seasons. The team’s rivalry with West Chester has been the real competition for the PSAC division.
The end of the four-day meet saw the Huskies shine yet again in their relay dominance. Taking the gold for the 400-yard freestyle relay saw the team of sophomore Collin Hummel, junior Colin Bauer, junior Jordan Wyant, and redshirt junior Kyle Dix take the race with a time of 3:02.02.
Taking second in the 200-yard backstroke was freshman Colton Schnars. Schnars was able to top his season best time of 1:49.84 and swim the race in 1:49.55, which earned him the second-place spot. Schnars ended his rookie year with a crucial second place for the Huskies.
In distance, junior Corey Smith swam the 1650-yard freestyle in a time of 16:12.02, giving him the fourth-place spot. The 11th place spot was earned by junior Doug Boehme, who off the trails of Smith touched the wall in a time of 16:48.63.
The 200-yard backstroke saw freshman Carson Hilliard take sixth in the “B” final, after finishing his race in 1:56.35. He placed fourteenth overall for the event. Taking eighth in the same “B” final was senior Nathan Mihalko, who swam it in a time of 2:02.18.
Dix went on to post a personal-best in the 100-yard freestyle. Swimming a 44.94, he earned an NCAA “B” mark giving him second place. Wyant not far behind, took sixth overall in the event with a time of 46.26, Hummel was right behind earning seventh for a time of 44.29.
Freshmen Pat Agnew and Jace Fry also placed in the event. Agnew took 15th overall with a time of 47.78 and Fry in 16th at 47.83.
Redshirt sophomore Matt Rocchi swam a personal-best in the 200-yard breaststroke, grabbing the fourth overall spot after touching the wall in a time of 2:06.75.
Sixth and seventh place were earned by sophomore Noah Cancro and senior Philip Nawn. Cancro put up a time of 2:09.67 and Nawn with a time of 2:11.02.
The “B” final also saw freshman Nicholas Madey win the event after touching the wall first with a time of 2:08.13, and senior Matthew Schultz take seventh with a time of 2:14.93.
The final score of the meet saw Bloomsburg finish strongly with a score of 699 to West Chester’s first place score of 858. Gannon grabbed third with a score of 434 points.
While the season may have ended for the men, Dix hopes to continue to represent the Huskies by making the NCAA Division II National Championships.
After winning the 100-yard butterfly, 100-yard breaststroke, and being a part of the 200-yard medley relay; he certainly earned it. Dix has had an impressive year and has acted as a powerhouse force for the men’s team. His career will be watched with great interest.
Indianapolis, Indiana will be the venue for the Championships and they will go from March 13 onto the 16.
